SSL L300 Takes Arjona to the Circus

11th October 2017

Latin American musician, Ricardo Arjona, latest Circo Soledad tour features Front Of House Engineer Dani Munoz and a new Solid Stage Logic Live L300 console.

Arjona’s new album Circo Soledad (Solitude Circus) comes complete with aerial dance, clowns, and lots of circus scenery, and huge video and lighting rig. The show runs to around 64 live inputs though SSL ML 32.32 SuperAnalogue stage boxes via an SSL BL II.D Blacklight II concentrator. “It’s a challenge in the sense that there are a lot of acoustic instruments,” said Munoz. “And because of that, there are a lot of mics open at the same time in what can be very reverberant arenas.

“My aim is always to achieve both power and detail, so I pay a great deal of attention to tuning the PA myself. I get my own measurements and traces, even for house PAs. The system has to be on-point because once the show starts rolling, that’s your constant,” Munoz explained.

“The SSL virtual sound-check Rehearsal Mode is fantastic. I’ve tried other ones before and their sound can be compromised sometimes. This time around I’m super-happy. The only thing I have to account for is the room, but I can play the show and walk around the venue and get a really clear idea of what’s happening.

Munoz has to keep the adventurous effects to a minimum, while utilising SSL’s internal FX Rack. “I do like the Guitar Chorus effect that’s very handy. I also use the Transient Shaper for percussion to spice things up a little bit. And I love the Enhancer; I put that on the masters along with the bus compressor,” he added.

Munoz concluded: “I love the console. It’s the best sounding console out there. I’ll do an A-B any day. If anybody needs convincing, I just tell them, grab a ’52, put it on a kick drum, and turn it up. It’s as simple as that.”